Tag Archives: paddling

Back to the volcano

Posted on by
2

I’m in my favourite place again on the sunny side of the boat. The seas are calmer today and beside the gentle slosh of the waves against the sides, there is a gentle throb from the engine, giving the sails a little help to get us round the headland. We’re on our way back to the volcano.

Last year we had a good helping of boat troubles that delayed and slightly derailed our trip at times. This year we set sail with just one issue – the water maker was broken and in need of a part. Thankfully the new part was on its way to a port in Sicily where we hoped to intercept it. Meanwhile, we had to be careful with our water consumption, it wasn’t a game changer. However, with a boat I’ve come to realise that problems seem to come in pairs!

Mount Etna has been in our sights for a few days and it is the first time I’ve sailed beneath a live volcano. We spotted smoke the other night, but no fire thankfully! Our route to collect the water maker part was taking us ever close to Etna and we soon found ourselves anchored below the hill town of Taormina, with the craters of Etna visible through the clouds. Thankfully distant rumbles turned out to be music from the shore, rather than the volcano stirring to life!

As it was a melting hot day, we’d delayed our shopping sortie in the dinghy (tender) till early evening. In any case the Sicilians close up between 3-6pm for siesta. The dinghy’s outboard was being a little tricky, but eventually it was started, however half way to shore it died. And no amount of coxing would persuade it to start. We tried paddling, but a passing speed boat took pity on us and 10 minutes later we were back on board. Supplies must wait!

So, now we had two broken items. The next day after more failed attempts to get the motor into action, which included filtering fuel, removing parts and other “helpful ideas” gleaned from YouTube, we gave up and headed for the marina along the coast where we would pick up our water maker spare parts and hopefully some helpful outboard fixers.

It turned out there’s nothing simple about collecting spares or fixing an outboard, especially when trying to communicate in Italian. Leaving our shipmates to talk through outboard issues with a couple of Italian geezers in their workshop, we strolled through the deserted parts of the town in search of the delivery address for the spare part. Google maps took us to a pair of steel gates with no door bell. We peered through the slats at a deserted boatyard… could google be wrong? There were no signs of an office or anyone moving about. It’s a strange life we now live, resorting to messaging on our phones, rather than calling someone… it seems WhatsApp is easier to translate! Just when we were about to give up, Lo and behold the gates jolted apart and began to creak open. Down the deserted track was a lady waving and speaking Italian! A tired Labrador-cross ambled over and from what I could understand we were being assured he was friendly! Walking back with our box of spares a few minutes later we decided to celebrate with an ice cream, hoping the rear party had faired well too! One problem was half way to being solved… as long as this was the right part!

There were glum looks when we jumped back on board Pura Vida. The engine had gone and so had the dinghy.

“They took it away, I think it’s going to be very expensive,” said the skipper. I looked up at the volcano towering above the town, it seemed to be casting a shadow on our voyage. It had certainly made its presence felt on the dusty streets of Reposto, where grey ash gathered in the corners of the pavements and huge lava boulders lined the beachfront. What can it be like living below a volcano?

That night we wandered Reposto’s scruffy streets and then ate freshly baked pizza on a pebbly beach. We watched a fishing boat arrive back as the sun set and the sky began to turn pink. It’s owner pushed the boat out into the water letting it glide back to join a line of other boats tethered by long ropes onto the shore. This place felt a little sad and forgotten and that night we caught the mood.

Three days later we were further down the coast in Syracuse, when we had the joyous news that the engine had been fixed and we also realised the water maker seemed to be working, so the sweaty work to fit the new pipe had paid off!

All was almost right with the world. However, we wouldn’t be able to collect the engine till after the weekend, so we still needed to row to shore to visit ancient Syracuse.

This proved to be quite amusing as we were the only small boat paddling across the expanse of bay without an engine. Did we look like we were arriving from a far country seeking refuge? Would the customs lookouts speed out to check our credentials? Evidently not, we spent a peaceful day ashore exploring Syracuse’s hidden gems and tasting Sicilian delights until the sun set and it was time for the long paddle back.

Today we are heading back to the dusty streets of “volcano town” where we hope to be reunited with a working outboard engine. From there we will continue our journey towards the renowned straits of Messina, where Sicily meets Italy. I’m hoping our boat problems will be left behind, along with the smoke from Mount Etna.

Update: This morning Etna woke up for real! It may be time to get going?

Who’s afraid of alligators?

Posted on by
Reply

An alligator encounter was on my mind when I set out on a canoe expedition on my second day in Florida.

Having been assured by the man handing out the life vests and paddles, that they were unlikely to bother us “as long as we didn’t go feeding them”, we set out down the river fairly confidently. The same man had told us that we wouldn’t need a map, as there was no chance of getting lost in the river… If his tips about navigation turned out to be as accurate as his alligator advice, we were in trouble!

My colleague and I had decided to take in the natural beauty of a riverside location before the start of a week of meetings. Paddling out on the tranquil, if rather brown looking river, seemed like the perfect way to get over jetlag and soak up the sights and sounds of Florida’s wildlife.

Apart from alligators, we’d been told we might see dolphins and manatees, so our eyes were peeled. I hadn’t done my homework on manatees and kept calling them Manta Rays. To be honest, I really wasn’t quite sure what I was looking for, even if the water had been clear.

Paddling gently didn’t seem to require much effort as we glided with the outgoing tide leaving the lawns and riverside houses behind, the river widened out and the banks were filled with overhanging trees and thick roots mining their way into the shadowy water.

We’d set out first thing to avoid the midday heat and intended to spend a leisurely hour or two on the river. After spotting a few dolphins fishing just ahead of us, we also spend time looking at various big birds perched on trees beside the water. A couple of pink and white ones turned out to be spoonbills and we were certain we saw some kind of white headed eagle, there were also herons and egrets. It was very peaceful, with hardly any other boats in sight.

After less than an hour, we enjoyed a break from the sun under the shade of a road bridge, where we decided to turn back. We’d been paddling back upstream for some time, when we both thought the journey back seemed to be taking longer – surely we should be starting to see houses and lawns running down to the water again by now? The sun was getting stronger and our water supplies lower, I tugged my hat down and was thankful I’d put on sunscreen.

“I don’t remember this bit, do you?”

Something was wrong. We realised we must have taken a wrong turn and spotted a different stretch of water just across another bank. We wondered if it was the main river. We definitely hadn’t been this way before. We’d been out more than two hours at this point and decided to pull up the canoe – alligators or not – and see if we could work out where we were, even if it involved dragging the canoe across to the right part of the river. There were no boats about and no houses… no one to ask. So, we did the normal thing and got out a phone to check on google maps for our location. What a relief we’d taken a phone for photos!

It was however, a bit of a shock to realise we were a long way off course, down a parallel tributary and long way from where lunch was being served with the rest of our team!

The way back felt hard. The wind was against us, the tide was ebbing out and the heat had intensified. I wasn’t thinking alligators, I was just thinking, “Please let’s find the right route back!” 

We spotted a huge cross in the distance which we’d seen before and began heading towards it, only for it to disappear again. Distracted by dolphins, birds and boats speeding down parallel waterways, we continued to flounder and decided it was time to stick rigidly to google maps, checking every turn, so that we wouldn’t end up spending the night on the river. (Where are the RNLI when you need them?)

We were tiring too after more than three hours paddling in over 30 degrees. Steering became a bit of a problem and after being directed down yet another dead-end tributary by a couple sunbathing in their boat, our patience was beginning to fray. The canoe ploughed into more mangrove branches than I care to admit and at one point we had to shuffle through the shallows because we were too tired to get out and lift the canoe.

When we eventually turned the corner and saw the other canoes pulled up on the grass it was a huge relief to make land after more than four hours on the river. Thankfully there was a swimming pool to cool off in and plenty of astounded colleagues to hear our story and shake their heads… There seemed to be one common denominator in recent expedition errors and getting lost and that was me!

We heard a news report later that same day, about how a woman’s torso had been found in the mouth of an alligator not far from where we’d been paddling. That felt a little close for comfort.

A week or so later, I had second thoughts about borrowing paddleboards offered by the bed and breakfast place. They had wanted us to sign a disclaimer and said, “Be aware – the waters are murky, and you are not at the top of the food chain!” 

I did eventually spot a little alligator down in the Everglades – safely viewed from the seat of an airboat. That was quite enough alligators for one trip!